This invention relates to an automatic throwing apparatus or machine for throwing clay pigeons, baseballs, softballs, tennis balls, balls for street hockey play, hockey pucks (for both ice and street hockey), volley balls, basketballs, footballs, and other objects where a controlled repetition of the throwing action is desired.
There are numerous patents relating to throwing objects by a mechanical means. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 715,179, describes a target trap machine including an ejector 62 driven by a shaft 61. The shaft is connected through a bevel-pinion 67 to a bevel gear-wheel 69 on a shaft 46. This latter shaft is driven by a human operator through pedals 43, sprockets 39 and a drive chain 44. A coil spring 147 is wound up as the operator drives the drive chain, and the ejector is rotated to the back of the trap machine. When the operator pulls on a cord 93, the ejector is released and pivots around ejecting the clay pigeon. The machine described requires a manual operator, and has limited throwing capacity because of the limited mechanical advantage achieved by the particular component arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,900 is directed to a centrifugal trapshooting device having a pair of rotating launching arms. One arm is manually adjustable. The other arm is tripped by a trigger on the first arm. The arms are supported by a rotary drive shaft at their respective inner ends. This shaft is driven by a high torque, low resistance, battery powered D.C. motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,978 discloses a centrifugally operated device for throwing baseballs, softballs, and tennis balls. The device includes a barrel having an outlet at one end and inlet intermediate its ends. The barrel rotates about a horizontal axis. Means are provided for controlling the angle and speed of discharge of the tennis ball, baseball or softball. Although mention is made of throwing clay pigeons of the device, an adaptation of the device for that purpose is not shown.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,688 describes a centrifugal machine for shooting hockey pucks. The device includes an automatic loader and can be controlled to vary the interval, speed, and direction of the pucks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,390 is directed to a target projector for clay pigeons which also operates by centrifugal force. A throwing arm of the projector is driven by an electric motor, and an electric switch controls release of the individual clay pigeons. These are fed to the throwing arm from a magazine disposed above an inner end of the throwing arm. Unlike many similar devices, this patent does not use spring action to impart a force to the clay pigeons.
While the prior art teaches a variety of devices to launch objects of various types such as balls and clay pigeons, there are still a number of significant issues, including safety issues, which need to be resolved. In addition, the various prior art devices are static devices in that generally they allow only a limited range of use once they are set up in a particular configuration. A device able to provide a greater range of usage has significant advantages for use in practicing or playing a sport.